Mail Archives: geda-user/2016/01/28/18:38:05
> > * The GUI needs a way of letting the user specify a BBvia
> > * The GUI needs to be able to *draw* a BBvia (+1 in 3D mode)
> > * The GUI needs a way to let the user specify which layer pairs may have
> > BBVias
>
> These are solvable problems that are for the UI to work, and shouldn't
> affect the design of the underlying data structures (opinion).
They're still work that needs to be done, and sometimes getting the
GUI right is the hardest part. Plus, the data structures don't live
in isolation, all the parts have to be done for the feature to be
useful.
> > * The exporters need to know how to export a BBVia (esp drill files)
>
> Exporting a BBVia is as simple as exporting any other through hole pad. The
> drill file is the trick.
BBVias need to have pads only on the relevent layers, which requires
some change, as well as the drill changes. Remember, it's not just
gerber, it's also gcode, png, ps, and whatnot. Someone needs to do
the work.
> > * DRC needs BBVia-specific rules
>
> This depends on how DRC looks at the BBVia.
No, we need to teach DRC how to look at BBVias. That's the work.
> * DRC needs to know where BBVias connect to
>
> I wouldn't think (perhaps naively) that this problem is unique to BBVias.
It's not but each "thing" that the board is made up of, DRC needs
special code for.
> * Find, likewise
> > * Report, likewise
> > * auto-drc needs to know when to let you go "past" a BBVia
> > * ...which implies a real physical stackup is needed, and enforced
>
> If the auto DRC is just checking connectivity and spacing, then if you
> route a trace on a layer that the via doesn't intersect (have a pad on), it
> shouldn't actually notice it.
You still have to tell it to not notice it. It's not magic, there
needs to be code there to do it.
> should really care much what kind of component placed the primitive where
> it is,
DRC needs special code for every primitive. We're adding one, it
needs code.
> > * ...which implies more GUI changes
> > * will autoroute use BBVias?
>
> It could if you teach it to, but there's no reason it has to.
But the autorouter needs to be able to avoid pre-existing BBVias.
Again, more special code.
> > * what about the optimizers?
> > * We need a way of storing BBVias in a file
> > * ...and storing them internally
>
> I think that if the component model becomes a collection of primitives,
It's not, and I'm not expecting our internal model to change as part
of what I'm describing. Stick to the present - what needs to be done
to add BBVias? At the moment, they'd be a new primitive, so
everything needs new code to "know" about them.
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